Bring the Kitchen With You

“I’ve spent only 6 nights in my own bed since this past September,” the 28-year old Belly Off! member says. His job—manager of a company that installs gutters, windows, and fireplaces—is what makes his life so road-heavy.

The road and the long hours helped make him heavy, too. He ballooned from his already-pudgy college weight of 245 to 279 in just a few years, and it was all diet. “I’d grab whatever fast food was around, or at the hotel it was always just easier to order Chinese or pizza. It didn’t feel good but it was easy and tasty.”

The Jacksonville, Fla., man knew he wouldn’t be able to stop traveling, so he’d have to find a way to lose weight on the road. He’s tweaked the Belly Off! program to fit his schedule and the confined quarters where he spends his nights, and he's making Belly Off! foods in tiny hotel room kitchens, following Craig Ballantyne’s YouTube hotel room workout, and losing weight. In just 3 weeks, Maltese has lost 16 pounds.

Heading out on the road? Pack these strategies Maltese has been using, and keep moving towards your goals, no matter how erratic your schedule.

1. Pack a world heavyweight champion. Maltese brings a George Foreman Grill with him on the road: “I can box it up and throw it in my truck,” he says. “I can put a chicken breast on the Foreman and whip up a salad in the room.”

2. While you’re at it, bring a whole kitchen. But make it small. Maltese brings a portable mini-pantry of cooking spray and essential spices. Paired with his Foreman, he’s got a kitchen where there ain’t one.

3. Embrace the routine. Maltese eats the same thing for lunch each day—that way, he doesn’t even have to consider choices. And keep your workout days firm, no matter the road warrior responsibilities: “I know that on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I’m going to work out, regardless of how I feel.”

4. No bench? No problem. Most Belly Off! maneuvers can be adapted to a hotel room. Maltese uses tables, chairs, and the bed as workout benches (if you’ve got a desk, pull it out to do inverted rows). He also packs resistance bands for a no-space increase in intensity.

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